On May 1, the 1995 movie Judge Dredd starring Sylvester Stallone was added to the streaming service Peacock. It's a good time to revisit this adaptation, especially as it celebrates its 30th anniversary next month. It's not the most popular adaptation of a comic book character. In fact, it's not even the most popular adaptation of 2000 AD's iconic future cop.
But it's not completely without merit, either. While the 2012 adaptation Dredd is definitely the more popular choice, it does make the first attempt easier to accept on its own terms. In fact, while many elements didn't work (two of which in particular stand out), three things also worked surprisingly well.
What works in Judge Dredd
The opening block war
The opening ten minutes of Judge Dredd are extremely effective at introducing the audience to Mega-City 1. We get a sense of just how chaotic and violent Dredd's city is and, more importantly, we learn about the Judges.
Including three different Judges in this opening scene was a smart choice. With the far-too-eager rookie, the confident but cautious Hershey, and of course, the already legendary Dredd himself, we see how effective the Judges can be, depending on experience and intelligence, of course.
On top of that, the block war also shows off the Lawgiver. Honestly, the Judges' guns still stand out as one of the coolest aspects of the comic. A weapon that can fire multiple forms of ammo is such a cool idea (at least, in comic books), and it's great that we see Dredd using each of them in this opening scene. Overall, the block war sequence is a simple but effective way of introducing Dredd and his world.
The Angel family
The Angel family isn't in Judge Dredd for very long, but their appearance is certainly memorable. Ruthless and psychotic, they're also a lot of fun and feel like they were lifted straight out of the comics. One thing that helps is Scott Wilson's memorable performance as Pa Angel, which is over-the-top for all the right reasons.
What also stands out is Mean Machine. Due to both his distinctive cyborg design and his long history in the comic, Mean Machine Angel is arguably the most iconic member of the family. So it was great seeing him in the film, complete with the dial on his head that ranges from "surly" to "brutal."
Considering the number of characters that the film didn't get right - ranging from Judge Griffin to arguably Dredd himself - the Angel family feels like a breath of fresh air by comparison. In fact, the only issue with their appearance is that it's so short. While the Angel family is good enough to carry a film on their own, they only appear for a handful of minutes. Still, it was nice while it lasted.
Mega-City 1
With a budget that was over $85 million, the movie had several notable names in its cast. Sylvester Stallone. Max von Sydow. Even the legendary singer Ian Dury appears in an utterly random cameo. But as great as they all are, the real star of this film is Mega-City 1 itself.
Mega-City 1 has always been a huge part of the comic. It's not just Dredd's home or where he works. It's an incredibly distinctive character in its own right. It's dark, it's violent, it's quirky, and it's more than a little bit insane. It's a world that's as essential to the comic's success as Dredd himself.
So it's a real joy to see it depicted so brilliantly in the film. As much as I vastly prefer the 2012 adaptation with Karl Urban, even I have to admit that 1995's depiction of the city is so much more authentic. It's also fantastic to watch in its own right, thanks to some excellent effects work helping to bring Dredd's chaotic city to life.
However, as great as Mega-City 1 is, there are still key issues that let the rest of the movie down. Many things perhaps, but two key problems need to be focused on. (And no, neither of them is the helmet issue. That's just a symptom of what's wrong.)
What didn't work
Too much at once
If you haven't read any Judge Dredd comics, you might think that, because of the general negative reaction from the fandom, the movie failed to include any mythology or characters from the comic. But that's not the issue. If anything, the 1995 film has the opposite problem - it tries to include too much at once.
In just 90 minutes, the movie includes characters and elements from the following stories: The Return of Rico, The Day the Law Died, The Judge Child Quest, and Oz. The film even includes Hammerstein from ABC Warriors - a completely different 2000 AD series altogether!
It would've been difficult to tell a story with this much mythology if the film had the same length as The Dark Knight, which was two and a half hours long and only combined two key Batman stories: The Killing Joke and The Long Halloween. But 90 minutes? It's far too short. As a result, the movie only offers glimpses of Dredd's world, with nothing fully fleshed out.
Telling the sequel first
It's fair to say that Judge Dredd isn't as popular as some of the biggest comic book characters from DC or Marvel. There's no question that the comic has a devoted fanbase, one that's helped ensure it has lasted for almost 50 years. But when the movie was released in 1995, most of the millions of viewers would've been completely unfamiliar with it. Honestly, they likely hadn't even heard of 2000 AD. This film would've been their introduction to the character.
So it's an utterly bizarre decision that, of the many plotlines and characters featured in the film, the central story is Dredd being framed for murder. Rather than fully exploring its cool/horrific concept of future instant justice, we're barely introduced to Dredd as a Judge before he's reduced to a prisoner, trying to clear his name.
Dredd losing both his position as a Judge and his reputation should have been a much bigger storyline than it was. If it had been saved for a sequel, when the audience was much more familiar with the character, it could have been a great plotline.
But exploring that plotline in the first film is an incredibly bad move. Not only does it clash against what the film should be doing - which is introducing the main character to a new audience - but it also means that the hero's fall from grace doesn't have the impact that it should have.
If the 1995 film had tried to do less and focused more on Dredd as a Judge, we probably could've had a solid Judge Dredd movie. It's no surprise that the 2012 version, which took this very approach, is the more popular adaptation. The first movie may have gotten a few things right, but it's also a prime example of doing too much at once and failing to satisfy fans and newcomers alike.